Can you provide a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of Off-line, Line-interactive and On-line UPS?
Sure, please find below a quick summary. For more detailed explanations, please refer to the questions above.
Topology |
Benefits |
Limitations |
Value proposition |
Off-line/Standby |
Low cost, high efficiency (typically 95 – 98%), compact | Uses battery during brownouts, limited or no protection against power irregularities, impractical over 2KVA | Best value for Personal Computers |
Line Interactive |
High reliability, high efficiency (typically 90-96%), reasonable voltage conditioning | Impractical over 5KVA, does not protect against all forms of power irregularities | Most popular UPS – ideal for for small office, web and departmental servers and/or harsh power environments |
On-line (Double Conversion) |
Near ideal electrical output, highest protection against all power irregularities, ease of paralleling | Lower efficiency (typically 80 – 90%), relatively more expensive under 5kVA | Default choice for providing back-up power and protection to mission critical equipment and servers at data centers |
To learn about the working principle of an Offline UPS click here
To learn about the working principle of a Line interactive UPS click here
To learn about the working principle of an Online UPS click here
Other Questions
What is a Line-interactive UPS, how does it work and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
What is an On-line UPS, how does it work and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
Can you provide a comparison of the extent of protection against power irregularities provided by Off-line, Line-interactive and On-line UPS?
How fast will my UPS respond to a power outage or blackout?
When should we use a single or 3 phase UPS?
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